CanPol 2024: the religious experience of pissing on dolphins

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(Thread IKs: ZShakespeare)

Gringo Heisenberg: May 30, 2009

Somehow I don't think Pallister will be making an appearance any time soon:

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/Pallister-staff-hired-PI-to-find-dirt-on-Kinew-sources-574965801.html

quote:

Premier Brian Pallister ordered his senior political staff to hire a private investigator to dig up dirt on NDP Leader Wab Kinew in the prelude to the 2019 election, a violation of strict guidelines preventing partisan activities from intruding on the business of government.

Although the Winnipeg private investigator was ultimately paid with party funds, multiple sources within the Pallister government confirmed oversight for the initiative was provided by some of the most senior staff in executive council, the office funded by taxpayers to provide communications, policy, legislative and other political support directly to the premier.

The sources, who have asked not to be named out of fear of reprisal, described relentless demands by Pallister to have senior staff find new dirt for a smear campaign against Kinew.

"He was completely obsessed with bringing down Kinew," one source said. "He made it clear to all of us that we were going to keep at this until we found something."

Executive council staff are not part of the regular civil service and are partisan by nature. However, they are still on the government's payroll and there are strict guidelines to keep party or electoral business away from day-to-day work in the offices of the Manitoba legislature.

"He was completely obsessed with bringing down Kinew. He made it clear to all of us that we were going to keep at this until we found something." � Source Political scientist Paul Thomas, an expert on parliamentary procedure and ethics, said politicians and their parties have always devoted resources to digging up dirt on each other. While it can be difficult to find the line between government and partisan business, the design and execution of an attack campaign on a political opponent is an inappropriate matter to be considered in the halls of government, he added.

"You shouldn't have people walking into the premier's office to provide updates from an investigator on how the investigation into Wab Kinew is going," said Thomas. "This is taking partisan activity to an extreme. It's definitely well beyond what we would consider to be responsible behaviour on the part of political leaders in that kind of environment."

Pallister refused repeated requests for an interview. A statement from the premier's office neither confirmed nor denied the hiring of a private investigator, but did acknowledge that partisan activities, such as those described by the sources, are inappropriate in executive council.

"Overtly partisan activities are the purview of partisan entities, not executive council," the statement read. "The executive council senior staff who would have direct involvement in the alleged matters are no longer employed by this government."

A statement from Premier Brian Pallister's office neither confirmed nor denied the hiring of a private investigator to dig up dirt on NDP Leader Wab Kinew( (right). A statement from Premier Brian Pallister's office neither confirmed nor denied the hiring of a private investigator to dig up dirt on NDP Leader Wab Kinew( (right). In an interview, Kinew said he is alarmed at the lengths to which Pallister has gone to dig up dirt, but not surprised.

"Using a private investigator is a little bit outside normal practice for Canadian politicians," he said. "The Tories are clearly less interested in debating the real issues and more interested in the politics of personal destruction."

The sources' revelation emerged in the wake of news earlier this month that a public interest group hired a PI to tail a Manitoba chief justice while he is presiding over a case before the courts.

The sources confirmed Pallister possesses a copy of Kinew's 2017 autobiography, The Reason You Walk, which he often references or pulls out during senior staff meetings. They said the book is tabbed and marked up with dozens of notations highlighting details the premier believed would lead them to embarrassing or career-ending revelations.

"He was totally fixated on digging up dirt about Kinew," one source said. "He was constantly pulling out the book and telling people to 'look at page whatever, there has to be more on that.' He totally hounded us to keep at it."

As recently as May, Pallister brandished the book in a legislative committee hearing in an attack on Kinew. He later called Kinew "an rear end in a top hat" at the same hearing, but later apologized.

A screen shot of Pallister with Kinew's book from a Youtube video of the Committee of Supply meeting posted on May 25. A screen shot of Pallister with Kinew's book from a Youtube video of the Committee of Supply meeting posted on May 25. Kinew has been dogged by critics for his past. A former rap musician, he has been condemned for profane, racist and misogynistic song lyrics he penned and performed.

During a period in which he admits to being an alcoholic, Kinew had had several run-ins with police, including incidents in which he assaulted a cab driver and faced criminal charges relating to allegations he physically assaulted a former girlfriend. The charges were eventually stayed.

The plan to hire a private investigator was hatched a year before the snap election call in 2019.

Sources said that in early 2018, Phil Houde, Pallister's former chief of staff, was ordered to hire an investigator using party money. The investigator did not do any surveillance; the task was largely to re-examine court documents and possibly conduct interviews.

The plan was well known to most senior staff, including advisers such as David McLaughlin, a two-time campaign manager for the PC party who was serving at that time as a paid consultant on Pallister's climate-change policies.

"He was totally fixated on digging up dirt about Kinew. He was constantly pulling out the book and telling people to 'look at page whatever, there has to be more on that.' He totally hounded us to keep at it." � Source The sources said McLaughlin, who has since been appointed clerk of the executive council, was a key figure in supporting the premier's obsession with Kinew.

It was during planning for the 2019 election that McLaughlin formed a clandestine group of party operatives � some of them high-ranking staff in executive council � to amass compromising information on Kinew for an attack website. This group also created numerous "burner accounts" to post anti-Wab information on social media platforms.

Houde and McLaughlin declined requests for an interview.

The PC party did acknowledge digging into Kinew's background but would not confirm that it had paid for a private investigator.

"One of the most important duties of any political party in our democratic system is to present clear and factual information to the public so that they can make fully informed decisions." � PC party statement However, in an emailed statement, the party reiterated its concerns that some of the most serious incidents from Kinew's past were not included in his autobiography. These events, the party said, became relevant as soon as Kinew assumed leadership of the NDP and began seeking the premiership.

"One of the most important duties of any political party in our democratic system is to present clear and factual information to the public so that they can make fully informed decisions," the party said in its statement. "Part of that duty includes holding other parties and their leaders accountable for past actions and statements."

The party statement also accused NDP staff of regularly conducting surveillance of a former (Tory) opposition leader, although officials refused to identify the individual. The NDP denied it had ever used an investigator or had anyone connected to the party surveil a Tory leader.

# ? Jul 30, 2021 05:08

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# ? Jun 1, 2024 18:28

Vasler: Feb 17, 2004; Greetings Earthling! Do you have any Zoom Boots?

How the heck does Alberta justify fining students, of all people, for not disclosing their student status?

I recall my student days. I was poor as dirt trying to work and get through all my classes. A fine like this would be devastating. Why would they do this?

# ? Jul 30, 2021 05:50

terrorist ambulance: Nov 5, 2009

Ok well, look, the free market only works if for workers it doesn't really work or look like a market. If they can actually withhold their labour to try to get higher wages, they might not be around to serve you your treats.

So if you have a characteristic (being a student) that statutorily reduces the wage that's owed to you, you have to disclose that. For uh, market reasons. It's only fair.

# ? Jul 30, 2021 06:23

terrorist ambulance: Nov 5, 2009

unfunny bullshit aside, it's because they don't care. it's the same rationale as pulling testing as cases are rising again, and making it so even if you do test positive, you can go to still go to work if you want (need) to. because they want people to work, and where possible work for less, and gently caress you, that's why.

# ? Jul 30, 2021 06:31

Pleads: Jun 9, 2005; pew pew pew

terrorist ambulance posted:

even if you do test positive, you can go to still go to work if you want (need) to.

https://twitter.com/xghostnotesx/status/1419389389864529924

I remember being a broke-rear end student and fuckin Ralph Bucks paid for my share of rent for a month when things were getting real desperate. There's no conservative "outreach" like that now (shallow as it was), it's just constant gently caress you gently caress you gently caress you towards almost every single person in the province with absolutely zero shame. And if they'd shown the barest thread of human decency, instead of constantly choosing the worst option to the point that even their sociopath supporters wound up asking what the gently caress, they'd easily cruise to 60% of the votes in every provincial election from now until the province roasts under constant 40C summers.

# ? Jul 30, 2021 06:55

PittTheElder: Feb 13, 2012; Yes, it's like a lava lamp.

Vasler posted:

How the heck does Alberta justify fining students, of all people, for not disclosing their student status?

Don't you see? By giving them a pay cut we're doing them a favor. They should want it.

it's because they hate them

PT6A posted:

There was a time when he was just normal incompetent, like Boris Johnson or something.

Neither of these people were ever normal incompetent. They were always awful and always knew what they were doing.

PittTheElder fucked around with this message at 07:45 on Jul 30, 2021

# ? Jul 30, 2021 07:41

Fidelitious: Apr 17, 2018; MY BIRTH CRY WILL BE THE SOUND OF EVERY WALLET ON THIS PLANET OPENING IN UNISON.

flakeloaf posted:

It is a great day for catholicism, my interesting internet acquaintances.

Arson is bad. Do not do an arson. Recognize a situation where you can purse your lips grimly, and nod, and understand why someone ELSE might think it would be good to start some fires, but recognize that this is ultimately bad, and then resolve to not do bad things.

So not fired, never to work again for the catholic church. No, just banned from embarrassing them again.

I'm not saying you should arson, but I'm also not saying you shouldn't.

# ? Jul 30, 2021 14:01

B33rChiller: Aug 18, 2011

I think the actual honest and decent thing to do would be to seize the church's assets in this country under whichever criminal organization laws we have, and distribute the assets to first nations. Also, drop all the court fights.

# ? Jul 30, 2021 15:17

DynamicSloth: Jul 30, 2006; "Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth."

End charitable status and we won't have a church burning "problem".

The seizing of assets will happen pretty efficiently from there, most churches struggle just to pay for heating.

# ? Jul 30, 2021 16:10

ColdBlooded: Jul 15, 2001; Ask me how to run a good team into the ground.

Pallister is going to hold a news conference on August 3rd to discuss new public health orders. It'll be his first public appearance since showing how much of a racist shithead he is.

Guaran-loving-teed that he's going to repeal the mask mandate because Conservatives are incapable of learning from previous mistakes.

There is also a non-zero chance he tries to top Alberta's stupidity since that appears to be a thing amongst these POS premiers.

# ? Jul 30, 2021 20:45

Randalor: Sep 4, 2011

My predictions:

-No third vaccine for those who recieved mixed vaccines
-Removing the mask mandate
-Asking for proof of vaccine is banned
-Increasing indoor capacity to 75%
-Mixed vaccines no longer considered fully vaccinated

# ? Jul 30, 2021 20:49

Fried Watermelon: Dec 29, 2008

Predictions when the 4th wave hits:

-No one could have seen this coming
-"We are doing the best out of near most provinces the least-wise"
-Churches 100% open
-Private households must purchase a COVID pass weekly
-"Natives got what they deserved"

# ? Jul 30, 2021 20:59

Vintersorg: Mar 3, 2004; President of
the Brendan Fraser
Fan Club

Despite being a crusty old shitstain - he has been fairly good with restrictions. Not fast enough but he hasn't been like Alberta.

I hope to hell the mask mandate stays up. I'll continue to wear mine regardless but that's the only thing keeping things at bay.

# ? Jul 30, 2021 20:59

Powershift: Nov 23, 2009

Pallister has one and only one concern at this point and that is him being allowed into Costa Rica by October.

He�s going to announce that they�re shipping millions of �spare� doses down there.

# ? Jul 30, 2021 21:02

Coxswain Balls: Jun 4, 2001

Not content with just their stupid APC, the Winnipeg Police Service spent another couple hundred grand on a Boston Dynamics police robot.

https://outline.com/UMY2JZ

quote:

In 2019, Massachusetts State Police reported numerous issues with a test run of the robot, including that it toppled while walking up stairs, according to internal records obtained by tech site OneZero. The bomb squad couldn�t get the device to assess a suspicious package as it kept going into "sit" mode instead of walking over, and it provided poor video quality.

# ? Jul 31, 2021 01:41

Vintersorg: Mar 3, 2004; President of
the Brendan Fraser
Fan Club

Someone on the r/Winnipeg sub had a link to the manual and ways to disable the dog if they end up using it on you. Spray paint, blankets, anything really to cover the front as it works on visual aids. There�s a latch under the chest you can pull to disable it. And also there�s a hard power button on the back.

What a stupid toy to buy. And people wonder where defund the police comes from.

# ? Jul 31, 2021 12:54

Coxswain Balls: Jun 4, 2001

To be honest after deactivating it I wanna steal it so I can reprogram it to be my robot buddy that doesn't trigger my allergies.

# ? Jul 31, 2021 13:26

InfiniteZero: Sep 11, 2004; PINK GUITAR FIRE ROBOT; College Slice

Vintersorg posted:

Someone on the r/Winnipeg sub had a link to the manual and ways to disable the dog if they end up using it on you.

I hear you just need to pull on the truck nuts and it deactivates.

# ? Jul 31, 2021 13:42

EvilJoven: Mar 18, 2005; NOBODY,IN THE HISTORY OF EVER, HAS ASKED OR CARED WHAT CANADA THINKS. YOU ARE NOT A COUNTRY. YOUR MONEY HAS THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND ON IT. IF YOU DIG AROUND IN YOUR BACKYARD, NATIVE SKELETONS WOULD EXPLODE OUT OF YOUR LAWN LIKE THE END OF POLTERGEIST. CANADA IS SO POLITE, EH?; Fun Shoe

Coxswain Balls posted:

To be honest after deactivating it I wanna steal it so I can reprogram it to be my robot buddy that doesn't trigger my allergies.

That thing is creepy af and going straight in the river sorry about your pet.

# ? Jul 31, 2021 14:50

Randalor: Sep 4, 2011

Vintersorg posted:

Someone on the r/Winnipeg sub had a link to the manual and ways to disable the dog if they end up using it on you. Spray paint, blankets, anything really to cover the front as it works on visual aids. There’s a latch under the chest you can pull to disable it. And also there’s a hard power button on the back.

What a stupid toy to buy. And people wonder where defund the police comes from.

I wonder how long until it gets stolen and dismantled for scrap metal.

# ? Jul 31, 2021 14:55

Sashimi: Dec 26, 2008; College Slice

EvilJoven posted:

That thing is creepy af and going straight in the river sorry about your pet.

The only time We Rate Dogs gave a 0/10 was with the NYPD's version of this Black Mirror poo poo.

# ? Jul 31, 2021 18:36

B33rChiller: Aug 18, 2011

I heard the federal public service can't print anything. Anyone feel like carrying a printer for the Queen?

# ? Jul 31, 2021 18:44

Bleck: Jan 7, 2014; No matter how one loves, there are always different aims. Love can take a great many forms, whatever the era.

EvilJoven posted:

That thing is creepy af and going straight in the river sorry about your pet.

tbh this is how I feel about actual dogs

(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)

(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)

# ? Jul 31, 2021 18:48

Rust Martialis: May 8, 2007; Can't post for 4 hours!

Bleck posted:

tbh this is how I feel about actual dogs

In at ground level

# ? Jul 31, 2021 18:58

Another Bill: Sep 27, 2018; Born on the bayou
died in a cave
bbq and posting
is all I crave

Bleck posted:

tbh this is how I feel about actual dogs

Normal healthy thoughts.

# ? Jul 31, 2021 18:59

Bleck: Jan 7, 2014; No matter how one loves, there are always different aims. Love can take a great many forms, whatever the era.

Dogs are the most dangerous animal in the world and lots of breeds of dog are bred to intentionally have various problems that they constantly suffer from and owning one of those animals and then constantly espousing your appreciation for how it loves you unconditionally is very unsettling to me! :shrug:

# ? Jul 31, 2021 19:03

Sashimi: Dec 26, 2008; College Slice

Bleck posted:

Dogs are the most dangerous animal in the world and lots of breeds of dog are bred to intentionally have various problems that they constantly suffer from and owning one of those animals and then constantly espousing your appreciation for how it loves you unconditionally is very unsettling to me!

This sounds more like a people problem than a dog problem.

# ? Jul 31, 2021 19:05

Beelzebufo: Mar 5, 2015; Frog puns are toadally awesome

How I feel about humans

# ? Jul 31, 2021 19:05

B33rChiller: Aug 18, 2011

Plenty of dogs enjoy a nice splash in the river. Great way to beat the heat.

Bleck posted:

Dogs are the most dangerous animal in the world (snip)

When's the last time a dog dropped a bomb on a wedding?

# ? Jul 31, 2021 19:08

GonadTheBallbarian: Jul 23, 2007

Dogs are not the most dangerous animal in the world foh

# ? Jul 31, 2021 19:11

Bleck: Jan 7, 2014; No matter how one loves, there are always different aims. Love can take a great many forms, whatever the era.

I guess they're behind snakes (and mosquitoes if you count being a vector for disease), but they're still disconcertingly high on the list as an animal that we regularly cohabitate with?

Whatever, my point is I endorse the robot dogs.

# ? Jul 31, 2021 19:16

Madkal: Feb 11, 2008; Fallen Rib

I mean Wild Dogs are probably the most efficient hunters in the world but they are far from the most dangerous. Also possibly the cutest most efficient hunters in the world.

Edit: wild dogs are their own unique species and not regular pets that have gone feral or live on the street.

# ? Jul 31, 2021 19:24

flakeloaf: Feb 26, 2003; Still better than android clock

e: ^oh definitely yes wild dogs are directly below "wu-tang clan" on things that are not to be hosed with

Bleck posted:

Dogs are the most dangerous animal in the world

quote:

and lots of breeds of dog are bred to intentionally have various problems that they constantly suffer from

nah that's just pugs and some frenchies, and dog people hate them too

quote:

and owning one of those animals and then constantly espousing your appreciation for how it loves you unconditionally is very unsettling to me!

sorry you've never had a dog, and literally prefer the existence of a mechanized remote-control jackboot to a creature that wants nothig more than to be where you are and do what you're doing

# ? Jul 31, 2021 19:25

Bleck: Jan 7, 2014; No matter how one loves, there are always different aims. Love can take a great many forms, whatever the era.

flakeloaf posted:

sorry you've never had a dog

My family bred dogs for a long time.

# ? Jul 31, 2021 19:30

flakeloaf: Feb 26, 2003; Still better than android clock

Having one companion dog that pays attention to you-personally is very different from living in a house whose main feature is a revolving door of piddling, stinking, moody livestock, but ok I'll eat that one.

# ? Jul 31, 2021 19:36

Beelzebufo: Mar 5, 2015; Frog puns are toadally awesome

Can we all stop being surprised by goons and their bad opinions...

# ? Jul 31, 2021 19:36

Oxyclean: Sep 23, 2007

Dogs are cool, but if you haven't been around a cool dog they can feel kind of overrated.

Same goes for almost any animal/pet to be honest.

Bleck posted:

I guess they're behind snakes (and mosquitoes if you count being a vector for disease), but they're still disconcertingly high on the list as an animal that we regularly cohabitate with?

Whatever, my point is I endorse the robot dogs.

please do not endorse the tool of police

# ? Jul 31, 2021 19:38

Bleck: Jan 7, 2014; No matter how one loves, there are always different aims. Love can take a great many forms, whatever the era.

flakeloaf posted:

Having one companion dog that pays attention to you-personally is very different from living in a house whose main feature is a revolving door of piddling, stinking, moody livestock, but ok I'll eat that one.

I mean yeah, and we had those too. But holding a newborn pup squeezed out of a womb packed to nearly bursting of other pups because the breed was so utterly small that it's basically not possible for them to breed without intervention and having to carefully and forcefully whip it through the air to swing the plug of mucus and amniotic fluid out of its airways so that it could maybe start breathing and survive made me rethink people's relationships with dogs, and then doing that several other times solidified those feelings.

[Your dog] is probably, like, fine and good and stuff! But, ugh, dogs.

Oxyclean posted:

please do not endorse the tool of police

Clarification: I think it would be good if we didn't have police and also had robot dogs.

# ? Jul 31, 2021 19:45

flakeloaf: Feb 26, 2003; Still better than android clock

Bleck posted:

I mean yeah, and we had those too. But holding a newborn pup squeezed out of a womb packed to nearly bursting of other pups because the breed was so utterly small that it's basically not possible for them to breed without intervention and having to carefully and forcefully whip it through the air to swing the plug of mucus and amniotic fluid out of its airways so that it could maybe start breathing and survive made me rethink people's relationships with dogs, and then doing that several other times solidified those feelings.

That's fair ball, and yeah there are a lot of lovely breeders out there who only care about cranking out more defective, brachycephalic monsters than they do about uniting people with serviceable pets. Some kinds of dogs are more likely to have desirable characteristics but of course loving humans have to establish "breed standards" and turn the whole goddamned thing up to eleven. And those wonderful people wouldn't exist if there weren't a horde of impressionable morons on the other side begging for a gasp-a-doodle cause they saw one on a tv show (after the producers found one that could cross the floor without a wheelchair and an oxygen concentrator) and decided the next 9 years of their life absolutely MUST be spent burning money at the vet's office to keep their pet in low orbit of death instead of permitting it to just crash headlong into it like nature would've done twice at birth if some hominid hadn't been there to shake the poor creature by its ankles. That's more of a "BYBs and their customers are terrible and should stop being those things" problem, but yeah i can see how growing up amidst it would lead to some negative associations with any part of it.

You're probably fine. But like, ugh. Humans

# ? Jul 31, 2021 19:54

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# ? Jun 1, 2024 18:28

PT6A: Jan 5, 2006; Public school teachers are callous dictators who won't lift a finger to stop children from peeing in my plane

Well, a significant issue is that there's not a lot of mutts resulting from responsible pet owners because of the focus on spay/neuter (not entirely a bad thing). You end up with breeders, some of whom do especially questionable things but nearly all of whom want to maintain a pure breed or otherwise breed toward some end goal, or owners who don't give a poo poo.

Very few people are trying to create good, healthy mutts, which would be ideal. At best, you have people breeding specific combos of pure-breeds to reach a desired end-state, which they then try to maintain and will eventually suffer all the same problems as any other established breed.

# ? Jul 31, 2021 20:00

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > CanPol 2024: the religious experience of pissing on dolphins

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